The British Wind Energy Association is the trade and professional body for the UK wind and marine renewables industries. Formed in 1978, and with over 310 corporate members, BWEA is the leading renewable energy trade association in the UK. Wind has been the world's fastest growing renewable energy source for the last seven years, and this trend is expected to continue with falling costs of wind energy and the urgent international need to tackle CO2 emissions to prevent climate change.
In 2004, BWEA expanded its mission to champion wave and tidal energy and use the Association's experience to guide these technologies along the same path to commercialisation.
Our primary purpose is to promote the use of wind power in and around the UK, both onshore and offshore. We act as a central point for information for our membership and as a lobbying group to promote wind energy and marine renewables to government. We research and find solutions to current issues and generally act as the forum for the UK wind industry. We have a professional staff of fourteen at our Islington offices and an annual turnover in excess of one million pounds.
Wind Energy
Wind is a clean, abundant and entirely renewable source of energy and is the fastest growing source of electricity generation in the world today. With a free fuel source and mature technology it is set to become a major energy source for the coming century.
In the UK at present over 1,430 wind turbines have the capacity to produce more than 1,315 MW of electrical power, enough to supply over 735,000 homes. This corresponds to just 1% of UK electricity, yet the UK has the greatest wind resource in Europe. Some countries in Europe already generate as much as 20% of their electricity from wind farms, and the UK has an even greater resource waiting to be developed.
small wind systems
BWEA has championed the UK wind industry since 1978 and the industry has matured to an important part of the UK's energy portfolio. Climate change and concerns over energy security mean that the UK will need a mix of renewable energy technologies, at both small and large scale.
The UK has the best wind resource in Europe, an asset that has the potential to provide a considerable proportion of the UK energy market in years to come. Together with several innovative manufacturers, the UK has a chance of becoming a world leader in small wind energy technologies. The DTI estimates that by 2050, up to 30-40% of UK's electricity generation could be produced by small and microgeneration technologies, including 6% from small wind energy generation. The UK's housing sector is responsible for around 28% of the UK's CO2 emissions, hence the 25 million homes in the UK, as well as schools, businesses and other public and private sector buildings can have an important part to play in tackling climate change by generating their own power.
Small scale renewable energy technologies such as small wind turbines generate clean and renewable energy with no harmful emissions and can thus help reduce a significant proportion of the UK's CO2 emissions. There is an increasing amount of interest and support for these technologies from politicians, industry and the public alike. These pages provide basic information on small wind energy systems.
